Arcadia : Smut Zone Proposed

The City Council will hold a public hearing Dec. 1 on a proposal to limit new adult book and video stores to a small section of an industrial area in the southeast corner of the city.

The proposal, passed unanimously by the Planning Commission, would limit adult establishments to the area south of Peck Road, near Clark Street, called Chicago Park. Because of zoning specifications, only two or three adult establishments will be able to occupy the narrow strip of land.

The proposal follows a two-year study of how such businesses affect their neighborhoods. Arcadia officials said the study, which looked at several cities in Los Angeles County, found that crime, loitering and blight increase near adult establishments.